Manifest file

Root level

The root level of all Roku apps must contain a manifest file (pkg:/manifest) containing important attributes for the application. These attributes include but are not limited to the following:

  • Name and version number of the application
  • App icon
  • Splash screen image

Manifest guidelines

  • Each attribute is on a separate line, and has the form name=value
  • Attributes are case-sensitive and must match exactly
  • Each name=value pair must end with a newline character, or it may not be parsed by the Roku OS
  • The last line must end with a newline character
  • Empty lines are ignored
  • Lines beginning with a '#' (number sign) are comment lines and are ignored
  • All graphics files specified in the manifest file should be included in the images directory
  • The URI to set the path to the files should use the pkg: resource prefix, such as pkg:/images/splash-screen.png

Example manifest file

# Channel Details
title=HeroGridChannel
major_version=1
minor_version=1
build_version=1

# Channel Assets
mm_icon_focus_hd=pkg:/images/channel-poster_hd.png
mm_icon_focus_sd=pkg:/images/channel-poster_sd.png

# Splash Screen + Loading Screen Artwork
splash_screen_sd=pkg:/images/splash-screen_sd.jpg
splash_screen_hd=pkg:/images/splash-screen_hd.jpg
splash_screen_fhd=pkg:/images/splash-screen_fhd.jpg
splash_color=#808080
splash_min_time=0
# Resolution
ui_resolutions=fhd

confirm_partner_button=1

Required attributes

These are the minimum attributes required for every Roku app:

Attribute Type Description Sample manifest entry Specification
title string name of the app title=Roku Media Player
major_version integer major portion of the app version major_version=1
minor_version integer minor portion of the app version minor_version=2
build_version integer build number build_version=00150
mm_icon_focus_fhd string local URI for the FHD app icon.

NOTE: The app will not appear on devices or be accessible after publication without this attribute pointing to a valid image. The image's file name and file type must also match.		 mm_icon_focus_fhd=pkg:/images/channel-icon_FHD.png 540x405
mm_icon_focus_hd string local URI for the HD app icon.

NOTE: The app will not appear on devices or be accessible after publication without this attribute pointing to a valid image. The image's file name and file type must also match.		 mm_icon_focus_hd=pkg:/images/channel-icon_HD.png 290x218
splash_screen_hd string local URI for the HD splash screen displayed when the app is launched splash_screen_hd=pkg:/images/splash-screen_HD.jpg 1280x720
splash_screen_sd string local URI for the SD splash screen displayed when the app is launched splash_screen_hd=pkg:/images/splash-screen_SD.jpg 720x480

Optional attributes

The following categories of attributes are optional:

Voice control attributes

Attribute Type Description Sample manifest entry
supports_etc_seek integer Enables handling of "seek" and "start over" voice commands.

If this flag is not enabled, an error message is displayed when an app receives a "seek" or "start over" command.		 supports_etc_seek=1
supports_etc_next integer Enables handling of "next" voice commands.

If this flag is not enabled, an error message is displayed when an app receives a "next" command.		 supports_etc_next=1
supports_voice_roinput integer Specifies that the app supports voice controls. supports_voice_roinput=1
voice_action_launch_screen integer Specifies that the app displays a hands-free voice profile selection screen upon launch. voice_action_launch_screen=1

Splash screen attributes

Attribute Type Description Sample manifest entry Specification
splash_color hex value background color to use if the splash screen image is not full screen splash_color=#121212
splash_min_time integer minimum amount of time (in milliseconds) to display the splash screen

If no value is specified, then 1600 (1.6 seconds) is used. If 0 is specified, then there is no default time, so the splash screen disappears as soon as the application displays its first screen. (This may result in the appearance of flashing, if your application shows its first screen quickly).		 splash_min_time=1500
splash_screen_fhd string local URI for the FHD splash screen

The FHD splash screen image is scaled down for HD display mode but this attribute can be used to specify a resolution-specific splash screen image.		 splash_screen_fhd=pkg:/images/splash-screen_FHD.png 1920x1080
splash_rsg_optimization integer Roku recommends that you do not use this attribute at this time as it may deplete your app's available memory resources. Set this attribute to remove the black screen flash in SceneGraph apps. This is only applicable for SceneGraph apps and only if the first screen is a SceneGraph component. splash_rsg_optimization=1

Graphics scaling attributes

Attribute Type Description Sample manifest entry
ui_resolutions comma separated values A comma-separated list of up to three strings that identify the UI resolutions the application has been designed to support. ui_resolutions=sd,hd,fhd
uri_resolution_autosub comma separated values Provides a flexible way to specify graphical image URIs that are automatically modified to replace a specified string with a string that gets a resolution-specific graphical image.

The attribute value is a comma-separated list of four strings that specify the string to be replaced along with the replacement strings for SD, HD and FHD resolutions. For example, suppose the manifest includes this line: uri_resolution_autosub=$$RES$$,SD,720p,1080p And the Roku player supports full high-definition resolution. Then if the application specifies a URI of: http://www.roku.com/testChannel/assets/$$RES$$/rokuTV.jpg. At runtime that URI will be modified to: http://www.roku.com/testChannel/assets/1080p/rokuTV.jpg and the application will get the full-high definition version of the graphical image in the specified directory.		 uri_resolution_autosub=$$RES$$,SD,720p,1080p

  1. The default setting for ui_resolutions is ui_resolutions=sd,hd

    • sd Applications designed for standard definition 720x480
    • hd Applications designed for high definition 1280x720
    • fhdApplications designed for full high definition 1920x1080

Launch requirement attributes

Attribute Type Description Sample manifest entry
supports_input_launch integer The roInputEvent is used to check whether a deep link has been passed into the application while your app is running. This enables your application to deep link into content without re-launching your app. This attribute must be added to the manifest for this functionality to work. supports_input_launch=1
requires_gaming_remote integer Specifies that a gaming remote must be linked to the Roku Player to launch the application. If not, a dialog box is presented to the user. requires_gaming_remote=1
requires_mkv integer Playing MKV files requires the use of a dynamically loaded library that is not part of the initially booted image. Therefore, an entry must be added to the manifest of any applications that require MKV support so that support is enabled when the app is launched. requires_mkv=1
network_not_required integer Set to 1 to specify the application does not require the network (such as the USB Media Player). This lets the user launch an application even if there is no network connection. network_not_required=1
bs_libs_required string Specifies the BrightScript libraries required for the application. bs_libs_required=roku_ads_lib
usb_media_handler integer Set to 1 to specify if the app can be auto-launched when a USB device is inserted. usb_media_handler=1

DRM attributes

Attribute Type Description Sample manifest entry
requires_verimatrix_drm integer Downloads the required library to use Verimatrix DRM. requires_verimatrix_drm=1
requires_verimatrix_version value Specifies the version of Verimatrix DRM to use. Roku currently supports version 1.0. requires_verimatrix_version=1.0<br />

As of Roku OS 9.3, support for Verimatrix DRM has been removed from the firmware. Make sure that content in your app is protected using one of the following Roku-supported DRMs: Microsoft PlayReady or Widevine. Click here for more information on implementing these DRMs.

See Content Protection for implementation details.

Special purpose attributes

Attribute Type Description Sample manifest entry
hidden integer The hidden property tells the Roku OS to not display the app on the home screen. Hidden apps can still be launched over the network via the External Control API. hidden=1
playonly_aware integer Attribute to specify the application responds to the PlayOnly remote control button event. If not set, the application will receive the Play event instead when the user selects the button. playonly_aware=1
pause_aware integer Attribute to specify the application responds to the pause remote control button event.

When this attribute is not set (the default), the application will not respond to the pause event and will toggle between "play" and "pause" modes when it receives the play event.

When the attribute is set to 1, the play event strictly indicates play-mode (no toggling), and a pause event is necessary to invoke pause-mode.		 pause_aware=1
channel_token Token string used to grant access for specific Roku platform features (for example, Continue Watching) ewogICJpc3MiOiAidXJuOnJva3UuY29tOnRva2VubWludDpjaGFubmVsdG9rZW4iLAogICJhdWQiOiAidXJuOnJva3UuY29tOnN0Yi9jaGFubmVsIiwKICAic3ViIjogInVybjpyb2t1LmNvbTpzdGIvNzAzMDM0IiwKICAianRpIjogInVybjo4ZjNhN2FiNi1mMWJkLTQ1MTYtOTRiNS0wYTc3ZjNmMDY2OGEiLAogICJpYXQiOiAxNzA1NTI3NzE4LAogICJleHAiOiAyMDIwODg3NzE4LAogICJuYmYiOiAxNDU2NzkwNDAwLAogICJyb2t1LXRmdiI6ICIxIiwKICAicm9rdS1wZXJtIjogWwogICAgImp3dF9oZWFkZXIiCiAgXSwKICAicm9rdS1jaGFubmVsLWlkIjogWwogICAgIjEiCiAgXQp9
run_as_process Integer Required for integrating Instant Resume and using the chanperf debug command, Roku Resource Monitor, and Perfetto. run_as_process=1
rsg_version value Sets the SceneGraph observer callback model.

You must set this parameter to rsg_version=1.3 by October 1, 2026, to continue passing certification testing . This version includes the APIs for transferring node data that improve app performance

If using Roku OS 9.0 or above, use rsg_version=1.2. This enables a new internal mechanism for processing component <script> tags that optimizes the resulting compiled script code resulting in a reduced initial startup time and lesser memory usage while preserving compatibility.

If using a Roku component library node, the rsg_version flag needs to be declared in the component library's manifest as well.

Eval() is deprecated. Eval() cannot be used with rsg_version=1.2.

The manifest entry defaults to 1.2 as of Roku OS 9.3 if it's not specified in the manifest.

Note that support for the “rsg_version=1.0” manifest flag is deprecated as of Roku OS 8.		 rsg_version=1.3
automatic_audio_guide_disabled integer Set to 1 to disable screen reader within an app. automatic_audio_guide_disabled=1
disable_audio_guide_shortcut integer Disables the shortcut for activating the screen reader (pressing the options key [*] four times ). disable_audio_guide_shortcut=1`
bs_prof_enabled boolean Enable BrightScript profiling bs_prof_enabled=true
confirm_partner_button integer This new feature has been added that launches a confirmation dialogue before launching an app when the user presses one of the four app-specific buttons on the Roku remote. This minimizes the number of unintended app launches after accidentally hitting a button while fast forwarding or rewinding content in a different app. When this manifest flag is set to “1” (confirm_partner_button=1), the OS will display a confirmation HUD (Head Up Display) any time the user presses a partner app button while in that app. By default, the OS will always display this confirmation HUD when a partner button is pressed during video playback, regardless of if the manifest flag has been set. roku815px - confirm partner button confirm_partner_button=1
suppress_unconnected_hud integer Manifest entry for overriding network connectivity HUD. This attribute is used to override the system level display that indicates when media playback is interrupted due to network connection failures. For more information on the connectivity HUD, please read the related support article suppress_unconnected_hud=[1|0]

(1 suppresses, 0 enables).
dial_title string The name of the title used by the Roku DIAL server to identify the app. dial_title=2Dvideo
game integer All game apps must add the game manifest entry to their manifest file. This flag prevents the app from having audio/sound effects delays in the game. game=1

Screensaver attributes

For an overview and guide on screensavers, see Screensavers on Roku.

Required screensaver attributes

For stand-alone screensavers, only the following attributes are required:

Attribute Type Description Sample manifest entry
screensaver_title string name of the screensaver displayed in Settings screensaver_title=Dog Screensaver
major_version integer major portion of the screensaver version major_version=1
minor_version integer minor portion of the screensaver version minor_version=2
build_version integer build number build_version=150

Legacy attributes (Deprecated)

The following attributes are no longer required or used by Roku devices:

Attribute Type Description Sample manifest entry
subtitle string Short promotional description of your application for display beneath the title subtitle=providing the latest in cool videos
mm_icon_side_hd string Local URI for side unfocused image for HD mm_icon_side_hd=pkg:/images/side-hd.png
mm_icon_side_sd string Local URI for side unfocused image for SD mm_icon_side_sd=pkg:/images/side-sd.png
mm_icon_focus_sd string local URI for the SD app icon.

NOTE: The app will not appear on devices or be accessible after publication without this attribute pointing to a valid image. The image's file name and file type must also match.		 mm_icon_focus_sd=pkg:/images/channel-icon_SD.png
requires_audiometadata integer The roAudioMetadata component requires the use of a dynamically loaded library that is not part of the initially booted image. Therefore, an entry must be added to the manifest of any applications that use the roAudioMetadata component so that it can be loaded when the app is launched. requires_audiometadata=1
requires_bluetooth integer Specifies that a Bluetooth remote must be linked to the box to launch the app. If not, a dialog box is presented to the user. This attribute has been superseded by requires_gaming_remote. requires_bluetooth=1